-
Max Olson
As a seasoned college quarterback on his fourth institution in six years, you anticipate certain reactions when browsing online comments.
He’s still in the game? Wow.
Isn’t he pushing 30?
He should move on and find a career. The league isn’t calling.
It’s about time to update his LinkedIn for a job.
Nonetheless, in spite of the critics, a remarkable phase has emerged for journeyman quarterbacks in college football. Freshmen starting their college journey in 2020 due to the COVID epidemic received an additional year of eligibility from the NCAA. Now they are still present as sixth-year seniors, with nearly 40 quarterbacks from that class returning this year for an extra season at the FBS level.
These are 23- and 24-year-old battle-hardened veterans who feel even older within locker rooms. They possess college degrees, their partying days are behind them, and they train and prepare like professionals, aiming to extract every final ounce from their collegiate careers.
The landscape of college football is largely unrecognizable from when they were high school students. The surge of NIL deals, the transfer portal phenomena, high-profile coaching dismissals, conference shifts, the broadened College Football Playoff, the pandemic aftermath, collectives, agents, revenue sharing — these quarterbacks have encountered it all.
«Very few have gone through this kind of roller-coaster experience in college football,» said SMU quarterback Tyler Van Dyke.
Quarterbacks shifting from school to school in search of starting positions is here to stay. In this modern era of unrestricted transfers, 85% of the top-50 quarterback recruits from 2018 to 2021 have switched schools, with over 40% changing institutions multiple times. Yet, we are approaching a conclusion for a unique brotherhood of super seniors awarded extra eligibility due to the pandemic.
This narrative revolves around four journeyman quarterbacks — Chandler Morris, Robby Ashford, Drew Pyne, and Van Dyke — who continue pursuing their dreams in Year 6.
Jump to:
Chandler Morris | Robby Ashford
Drew Pyne | Tyler Van Dyke
Chandler Morris: Oklahoma | TCU | North Texas | Virginia
Josh Hoover came in to take his place. Morris regained his health but couldn’t reclaim his starting position, leaving him puzzled.
However, a great deal had gone off course. Morris’s initial commitment was to play for his father, Chad Morris, at Arkansas. Just five months later, Arkansas dismissed his dad. In response to that major setback, Morris committed to Oklahoma. He arrived in Norman during the summer of 2020, amid the COVID pandemic, fully aware that everything would be atypical.
There was minimal time to bond with his freshman classmates. Interaction outside the football facility was discouraged. Players attended online classes from their dorms, donned masks, underwent daily COVID testing, and struggled through a college football season in virtually empty stadiums.
«I can’t say I was very happy there,» Morris remarked. «But I doubt any freshman in the country was particularly happy that year.»
After a year playing behind Spencer Rattler and with Caleb Williams on the horizon, Morris instinctively felt Oklahoma wasn’t well-suited for him. He returned home to TCU to play for Gary Patterson. Eight games into the 2021 season, Patterson’s 21-year successful run ended abruptly when he was let go on Halloween. The following day, Morris learned he would make his first career start.
The Horned Frogs had nothing to lose against No. 12 Baylor and that’s exactly how Morris performed. He torched one of the Big 12’s top defenses with 461 passing yards, 70 rushing yards, and 3 touchdowns in an astonishing 30-28 upset.
«I was possibly too young for that level of success,» Morris admitted. «I probably thought I had reached the pinnacle. I dominated the game as if I was an overnight sensation.»
Morris was equally formidable the next August in the preseason competition with senior Max Duggan. TCU coaches maintain even now it was a clear decision. Morris earned the title of QB1 as the Frogs embarked on the Sonny Dykes era. However, he didn’t last through the season opener, leaving the game with an MCL sprain in his left knee after a Colorado defender fell onto his leg.
«Max took over,» Morris said, «and the rest is history.»
A few weeks later, when Duggan led the team to a 55-24 rout of Oklahoma, Morris returned home in tears, knowing he had squandered his opportunity. TCU remarkably ran a 13-1 campaign to the CFP national championship, with Duggan finishing as the Heisman Trophy runner-up. Morris relished that exhilarating experience, although setting aside personal emotions was challenging. He deeply wished he could be out there playing.
Elijah Moore feigned urination in the end zone during the Egg Bowl. Rebels coach Matt Luke was in Hoover, Alabama, visiting Ashford when he received the call that he was being fired.
Ashford had little time to decide on his next institution and crossed the country to play both football and baseball at Oregon. Had the 2020 MLB draft not been slashed from 40 rounds down to five because of COVID, the former top-200 draft prospect might have opted for professional baseball straight out of high school.
After two seasons as a backup QB in Eugene, Ashford yearned for playing time. But when Mario Cristobal departed for Miami, Dan Lanning took the reins, and the newly appointed offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham recruited Bo Nix. Ashford entered the transfer portal and returned to Auburn. He found a coach who believed in him in Bryan Harsin, becoming a starter three games into the 2022 season.
In his first start against Missouri, Ashford sustained a serious shoulder injury: a second-degree AC joint sprain, a bruised rotator cuff, and a strained trap muscle. He played through the pain for nine games, keeping it a secret publicly until the season concluded.
«I was receiving four shots each game in my shoulder and neck to be able to compete,» he stated. «I wasn’t about to inform anyone so opponents wouldn’t target my shoulder. The only ones who genuinely knew were those around me daily. They couldn’t go out and say, ‘Man, you don’t understand, Robby is injured. He’s playing with a messed-up shoulder.’ But that gave everyone a perception about me.»
Catch your favorite events in the newly updated ESPN App. Discover what plan best suits you. Sign Up Now
Following a four-game losing streak, Auburn dismissed Harsin. The abuse Ashford endured during that 5-7 season was more than he expected. He was aware of the fervor in the SEC, but nothing can prepare a 20-year-old for an inbox flooded with racial slurs and death threats after defeats. Ashford described it wasn’t just direct messages on social media; he also received texts from anonymous numbers.
«You try not to pay attention to it, but at times it appears while you’re scrolling,» he explained. «It’s as if you can’t escape it, even when you’re not searching for it. That’s part of the scenario that comes with being a Black quarterback.»
Ashford hesitated to show his face on campus. He acknowledged he played too cautiously, overly anxious about exacerbating the situation.
«It reaches a point where you actually have to start concerning yourself with your personal safety,» he confessed. His father, Robert, urged him to remain resilient and keep believing it would turn out okay.
Ashford abandoned baseball in the spring of 2023, a sacrifice he was willing to make to demonstrate to new Auburn coach Hugh Freeze that he was committed to leading the Tigers. He felt positive about his performance in spring practices and was named the offensive MVP in the spring game. Shortly after, Freeze acquired transfer QB Payton Thorne from Michigan State.
«I got backdoored,» Ashford stated. «My position was taken without me underperforming. If I had known I would lose my job without having played poorly, I would have pursued baseball. You live and learn.»
As he wasn’t graduated yet and couldn’t leave, Ashford supported Thorne for a season before moving on and felt relieved to escape.
«It felt like a toxic environment,» Ashford expressed.
He transitioned to South Carolina, believing it was crucial to stay within the SEC, yet lost an offseason battle to LaNorris Sellers. Ashford reminisces about their first encounter when he met the redshirt freshman who wore glasses, even while donning a helmet.
«I was like, ‘You’re the kid that’s really talented?'» Ashford recalls with a laugh. «It doesn’t seem like it when you first meet him. Yet once he’s on the field, yeah, he’s the one that’s genuinely good.»
Ashford supported and motivated Sellers as he evolved into a standout player for the Gamecocks. Though not thrilled about his backup role, he held nothing but admiration for Sellers, whom he considers a little brother. With one season remaining, Ashford reentered the portal in search of an opportunity.
Wake Forest had a new coaching staff needing an experienced starter. Ashford suspects he might be the lowest-paid QB1 in the Power 4, but it doesn’t matter. He merely wanted to play.
Ashford is exactly where he aimed to be, yet it’s been a challenging year. His father unexpectedly passed away at 53 in April. He continues navigating through the grief, which hit him hard just 15 minutes before his first start at Wake Forest.
«He’d been there for me through the ups and downs,» Robby reflected. «I wished he could witness this year.»
Robby perseveres without him. He strives to lead his 5-3 team despite a thumb injury on his throwing hand. Ashford and backup Deshawn Purdie achieved a stunning 13-12 upset over SMU in Week 9, but they struggled against Florida State’s defense in a 42-7 defeat on Saturday.
Even in Year 6, Ashford hasn’t lost faith that his optimal football remains ahead of him.
«There have been many days when I think, what’s going on?» he reflected. «Yet, it’s instilled a profound sense of hope within me, knowing I can keep pushing forward. I’ve got to keep moving forward.»
Drew Pyne: Notre Dame | Arizona State | Missouri | Bowling Green
Ian Book supported Pyne during his freshman year in 2020 as the Fighting Irish navigated a peculiar season in the ACC, leading to the College Football Playoff and a Rose Bowl semifinal held in Texas.
Pyne took two snaps against No. 1 Alabama, spotting eight future NFL draftees on the opposite side. He was eager to guide the Irish back to that eminent stage.
After spending another year behind Jack Coan, Pyne felt prepared. Tyler Buchner claimed the starting position heading into 2022 but suffered a shoulder injury. In the first quarter of his first start in South Bend, Pyne unintentionally became viral. The NBC broadcast captured offensive coordinator Tommy Rees lambasting his QB from the coaches’ box after three unsuccessful drives. Welcome to the big leagues.
Pyne’s tenure as the Fighting Irish starting quarterback, a dream he’d chased his entire life, spanned merely 10 games. A four-loss season in Year 1 under Marcus Freeman fell short of expectations for a team with preseason top-five aspirations. Nonetheless, Pyne did compile an 8-2 record as a starter, with wins over Clemson, North Carolina, Syracuse, and BYU.
«I take immense pride in my time there,» Pyne noted. «I still cheer for Notre Dame and Coach Freeman, who treated me excellently. Many of those guys remain my closest friends. It’s a remarkable place. I cherished my time there.»
So, why the transfer? By the season’s conclusion, it was evident Freeman and Rees sought a transfer QB to challenge or replace Pyne and Buchner. Pyne was merely a semester away from graduation and hoped to become a captain in 2023, yet he learned there would be a competition. He sensed the odds were against him and departed before the bowl game to seek his subsequent destination.
Pyne joined Arizona State. Then Missouri. Now Bowling Green. He never anticipated this many twists and turns.
«Initially, I had no intention of transferring or engaging in any of this,» Pyne explained. «But that’s just the reality in today’s game. I love football and want to play it. That’s why I did what I did.»
At Arizona State, he connected with Dillingham in an effort to lead a revival. A pulled hamstring during a preseason scrimmage was his initial setback. Pyne returned several weeks ahead of schedule — refusing to miss a rematch against Caleb Williams after losing to USC in his Notre Dame finale — thanks to daily hyperbaric oxygen chamber sessions.
«I merely wanted to play Caleb again and attempt to beat him,» Pyne stated. «So I said forget it, I don’t care if my leg falls off, I’m playing in that USC game.»
How did that pan out?
«I ruptured my left groin, separated my AC joint, pinched a nerve in my neck, and got sacked eight times — but we kept it competitive until the fourth quarter,» he recounted. «Let me tell you, the following morning was quite challenging.»
Allstate Playoff Predictor holds the answers. Review weekly as the odds shift following each week’s games.
Pyne’s season concluded. He woke at 4:30 a.m. daily for physical therapy. Doubt began to creep in, weighing on him about what to do next.
He returned to Notre Dame, re-enrolling for spring to complete the final classes required for his degree. Pyne trained with a local coach, hoping someone would take a chance on him.
Missouri invited Pyne to back up senior Brady Cook. He had to step in for an injured Cook against Alabama and threw three interceptions in a 34-0 defeat. However, what resonated with him was the support from Luther Burden III and his teammates. «They recognize I give it my all,» Pyne commented. «Those guys had my back.»
He rewarded their trust the following week against Oklahoma, orchestrating a 75-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter to equalize. Less than a minute later, Missouri defensive end Zion Young picked up a fumble and scored to stun the Sooners.
«While sitting on the bench, I prayed,» Pyne recalled. «I said, ‘God, it feels like things never go my way. Can you allow something to turn in my favor?’ Then, suddenly, I looked up and saw Zion running in for the touchdown.»
After one of the proudest moments of his life, Pyne aspired to chase that feeling in 2025. He signed on with Bowling Green because he was impressed by the new coach Eddie George and the culture he’s establishing. Pyne understands a thing or two about winning over new teams, but this squad embraced its 24-year-old quarterback.
During his fifth visit to the Manning Passing Academy this summer, Archie Manning appointed him captain of the college quarterbacks. After all, he had roomed with Brock Purdy in his freshman year.
«Now I’m the elder,» he quipped.
Pyne is encountering more challenging moments this season. He recently returned to play on Saturday in a defeat against Buffalo after missing three games due to a leg injury. The Falcons are 3-6 and aim to get back on track to pursue bowl eligibility in November.
Believe it or not, his injury at Arizona State has granted Pyne another season of eligibility in 2026 if he desires. He hasn’t made a decision yet, acknowledging that his life could follow various paths after this year. For now, he’s simply thankful for the opportunity he’s found at Bowling Green.
«It’s genuinely everything I could wish for, especially as I near the closure of my career, being a starter, a leader, and a captain,» Pyne stated. «It’s akin to playing Road to Glory, but in reality.»
Tyler Van Dyke: Miami | Wisconsin | SMU
some were labeling Tyler Van Dyke, the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year, as a first-round NFL draft prospect alongside Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud.
«It was a hefty amount of acclaim, but I believed it,» Van Dyke remarked, «I considered myself that good. And I realize I’m that good when I’m healthy and performing at my peak.»
Young and Stroud are now third-year NFL starters. Van Dyke remains engrossed in his climb to reach their height. Currently, he is off the national radar, a backup at SMU recuperating from a major leg injury and gearing up for one final chance.
Van Dyke reconnected with Rhett Lashlee, the coach who instilled so much belief in him as a redshirt freshman filling in for the injured D’Eriq King at Miami. Now King serves as his position coach. They had a solid stint together in 2021, but it wasn’t enough to preserve Manny Diaz’s position. New coach Mario Cristobal showered praise on the quarterback he inherited, likening Van Dyke to Justin Herbert and asserting there wasn’t a superior QB in the nation.
However, by the end of 2022, Van Dyke wasn’t prepared for the NFL. He received a wake-up call four games in when Cristobal benched him during an ugly defeat against Middle Tennessee. «Things aren’t always peachy like 2021,» Van Dyke reflected. At that time, he sensed the fan base’s sentiments had flipped from adoration to disdain.
Van Dyke began consulting a sports psychologist to address his thoughts and clear his mind. He threw for 496 yards in his next appearance, a close loss to Drake Maye and North Carolina, and felt he had returned to form after a road victory against Virginia Tech. Unfortunately, he sustained a third-degree AC joint sprain in his throwing shoulder, sidelining him for most of the concluding five games. Following a disappointing 5-7 season, Van Dyke mulled over leaving Miami.
In the spring of 2023, Alabama attempted to convince Van Dyke to transfer. He was receptive.
«Honestly, I was nearly set on going there,» Van Dyke confessed.
The Crimson Tide had lost Young to the NFL and were uncertain of Jalen Milroe’s capabilities. Van Dyke revealed that Rees, then Alabama’s OC, tried to lure him to Notre Dame to replace Pyne. Now he was coming back for him. For Van Dyke, it wasn’t a financial issue. The NIL landscape back at that time wasn’t comparable to today. This was about his future. A standout year at Alabama could restore his first-round status.
Yet he declined to transfer. Cristobal got wind of the Alabama discussions and persuaded him to remain. Van Dyke remains uncertain how that information got out, but he found himself in a difficult position and ultimately opted to stay loyal to his team.
«In the end, I was satisfied with my decision,» Van Dyke affirmed. «I didn’t want to leave. I had solid friendships within the team. I was the team leader. Everybody respected me, and I adored the team. I aimed to stay at Miami.»
The Hurricanes commenced the 2023 season at 4-0 before an inexplicable loss to Georgia Tech, neglecting victory formation to seal a win and fumbling the game away. Van Dyke incurred an injury the following week against North Carolina, a bruise to his knee that migrated to his quad. He attempted to push through this rare leg issue, termed a Morel-Lavallée lesion, but he wasn’t performing at his best and concluded with 14 turnovers. Clearly, it was time to move on.
The unpredictable nature of those last two Miami seasons exhausted him. The Canes would emerge victorious and feel like contenders. In contrast, losses felt like the end of the world to Van Dyke. While he holds a deep respect for Cristobal, the situation dwindled over time.
«Ultimately, it didn’t work out for either of us,» Van Dyke lamented.
Miami replaced him with a future No. 1 selection in Cam Ward. For Van Dyke, it was painful to witness the accolades for Ward’s leadership last year accompanied by subtle criticisms of the former QB.
«Leading is effortless when everything is running smoothly,» he commented. «It’s easy to blame someone, to make a scapegoat when things turn sour. It was a challenging year. I felt like the narrative surrounding me was unnecessary and absurd. Even some coaches who recruited me in the transfer portal questioned my leadership.
«I recall Cristobal saying to me during the Alabama situation: ‘You mean more than you realize to this team. You are the guy. Everyone respects you.’ He said that directly to me. Following that, for everyone to question my leadership? That stung.»
Van Dyke felt relieved to receive a dozen offers in the portal, and he contacted Lashlee for guidance. Wisconsin seemed like the ideal fit for 2024, a Big Ten program where he could succeed and rejuvenate his draft potential. Three games in, Van Dyke faced Alabama.
While attempting to scramble on a third down to prolong the Badgers’ opening drive, his right foot became lodged in the turf as a defender slammed him down along the sideline. Had he known the officials had thrown a flag for defensive holding, Van Dyke would have stepped out of bounds. Instead, he fought for additional yards, which ultimately cost him the season.
Van Dyke didn’t just rupture the ACL in his right knee and his meniscus; he also damaged cartilage at the base of his femur, necessitating three allograft plugs. The injuries led to a recovery timeline exceeding 12 months. He spent two long months on crutches watching the Badgers struggle to a 5-7 record, questioning whether he would ever play another snap.
Van Dyke returned to the portal. Lashlee and King provided precisely what he needed: a space to recover surrounded by people he trusts completely. Lashlee didn’t bring him to Dallas to be SMU’s starter or to be a backup for 2025; he was offering his former QB an opportunity to recuperate with full support and devoid of pressure.
«When some players on the team first met me, they were like, ‘Wow, you were at Miami. You were great at Miami,'» Van Dyke chuckles. «I’d reply, ‘Yeah…'»
It’s a unique experience, taking a backseat after being a starter for four years. Van Dyke is suiting up for games, nearing clearance, but he is there primarily to support starter Kevin Jennings. He shares insights in film sessions and marks plays during games as he considers a future in coaching when his playing days are over.
Van Dyke is diligently working towards a significant comeback and eyeing a seventh year in 2026. He’s resolved to start again, wherever that may be, but he’s content with his present situation. He will turn 25 in March and is set to marry next summer. That’s all he has planned for now.
«In the past, I would often view my future with the mindset that if I didn’t achieve this, that, and the other, things wouldn’t go well for me,» Van Dyke stated. «Now, I’m taking it one day at a time.»
The narrative of his career isn’t concluded just yet. The veteran passer grins at the thought of how people will react to his journey extending into Year 7.
«A lot of folks will be surprised that I’m still in college,» Van Dyke humorously noted. «But everyone has a distinct story to share.»
